


Capo Della Famiglia

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Pet Sounds [13]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Family, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-14
Updated: 2014-06-14
Packaged: 2018-02-04 15:50:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1784650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“That tabby cat probably broke his heart.” Dave shook his head.  “I told him not to fall for her, that it was never going to work.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Capo Della Famiglia

**Author's Note:**

> It amazes me when these characters come into my head and decide to talk. The title translates to Leader of the Family.

“Hey.”

“Huh?” Rossi opened one eye and looked at Alex.

“Have you talked to Spencer lately?” she asked.

“Nope.” He shook his head and closed his eye again. It was one of those humid, gross mornings so the Chesapeake Bay retriever had taken up under the big tree in the side yard. Late morning naps were a luxury and Rossi didn’t like being disturbed. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the orange and white American Brittany but he liked being disturbed even less.

“Something is wrong.” Alex said.

“What's wrong?”

“David! I need you wake up and listen to me.”

“Aww c'mon, I'm trying to take a nap. I have a lot of responsibilities you know, and being able to take an hour or so for myself to rest and rejuvenate isn’t asking too much.”

“Responsibilities? You mean the cocker spaniel bitch across the street? That’s what you’ve been focused on all month.”

“Hey! Watch your language.” Rossi growled, bearing his teeth. He would never hurt Alex but wasn’t going to let her disrespect Erin or him.

“Bitch is a female dog, Dave.” Alex said. She wasn’t afraid of him, or much else for that matter. “It’s from the Old English bicche and has been a part of the English language since the 11th century. As usual, humans took it and made it into something negative. That’s the power of words.”

“Whatever it means, or doesn’t, don’t knock Erin. Too many other dogs around here knock her and they don’t even know her OK. Don’t be like those dogs, Alex.”

“Look, you're the oldest. I would take care of this myself but when I ask Spencer he just clams up and doesn’t want to be fussed over. If you ask him he’ll be all stoked because the big dog cares about him.”

“Alright,” he stifled back a yawn. “Five minute assessment…what's bugging him?”

“I really don’t know.” Alex said. “He just seems moody. He hasn’t even gone to hang out with JJ for the past couple of days. You know how much he enjoys spending time with her. He's totally faking it when playing with the kids and when he can get away he goes off to a corner by himself.”

“That tabby cat probably broke his heart.” Dave shook his head. “I told him not to fall for her, that it was never going to work. The young ones never listen, but hopefully learn from experience.”

“I need you to ask and not assume.”

“Geez, you're worse than my second wife.” Rossi held up a large paw. “I got this, OK. I’ll find out what's going on with the pup. Can I finish my nap please?”

“Are you going to do it today?” Alex pressed.

“Hey Alex, don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me angry.”

“Um…OK, whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Just take care of it, Dave. I'm worried about him.”

Rossi nodded and closed his eyes again. He really hoped the conversation was over. He counted to 20 and when he didn’t hear any more, he let sleep sink in again. It wasn’t easy being the king of a crowded house. He could admit to spending a lot of time focusing on Erin lately. 

There was nothing wrong with making romance a priority. But neglecting the family was out of the question. It wasn’t just his job to look after the twins and make sure they were OK. He had to make sure Alex and Spencer had all they needed as well. None of it was an easy job but it was his. Dave Rossi had never once shirked responsibility; now was not the time to start.

000

The rain came later in the afternoon. For the pets, the worse thing about the weather was being trapped inside. It was probably the same for the kids but since the Copeland kids were out for the afternoon, they were surely making their fun somewhere. Rossi ate some lunch, took another nap, and tried to avoid Alex’s stare. He was going to handle it but had to do it in his time. If this was as delicate a situation as she made it seem, going off half-cocked would just make things worse.

He found Spencer sitting out on the deck. Mrs. Copeland had the sliding glass door open to let in the breeze that finally came with the rain. Since the deck had an awning, the beagle puppy didn’t have to worry about getting wet. Rossi went out there and sat down next to him.

“What's up, pup?”

“Hey Rossi.” Spencer glanced at him before looking back out at the rain.

“Whatcha doing out here all by yourself?”

“Nothing.”

“You wanna play tug of war?” Dave asked.

“Nah.”

This must be serious…Spencer never turned down tug of war. The last time he did he had that bad stomachache and had to go to the vet. He was lousy at the game but Rossi thought he liked it so much just because they spent time together doing it.

“Well, um, what's up?”

“Nothing.”

“OK.” He was going to have to find another approach. Might as well go with the solid Rossi. “Look kid, Alex is worried about you. After turning down tug of war, I'm kinda worried too. Are you sick? Are you hiding it so you won't have to go to the vet? Cuz the vets OK, remember? And the humans give you snacks and treat you like a prince after you come home.”

“I'm not sick, I promise.” Spencer said. The vet was OK but Spencer would do with only going for his yearly checkup. The snacks were great but the shots sucked.

“Then tell me why you're so down in the dumps.”

“I just miss my mom.”

“Oh.”

Spencer was an only puppy. It was rare but not unheard of. Rossi heard that they split up the beagle and his mom after Spencer was weaned and old enough to be out in the world. The family that the older beagle lived with couldn’t afford the expense of another dog. At least that’s what Rossi heard. The pet grapevine had to be taken with a grain of salt. But seeing the state Spencer was in now, some of it might be true.

“I never knew my mom.” He said.

“You didn’t?” Spencer looked at him. “Where did you come from?”

“Long Island…that’s in New York State. We were a big litter but the shelter people bottle fed us. I don’t know what happened to my mom.”

“Does that make you sad?”

“Not really,” the retriever shrugged. “But you and I are different. It’s OK to be sad and miss the dogs you love when they're not with you. It’s just important to make sure that the sadness doesn’t become everything.”

“How do I do that?” Spencer asked.

“You gotta keep living your life. You gotta play tug of war and hang out with those cats you like. You can take extra naps and run up the stairs. You just gotta be Spencer.”

“But when I'm sad I don’t want to do those things. I try sometimes but it feels so fake. The fakeness sits in my belly like a rock.”

“Part of growing up is pushing through and doing them anyway. You're just a puppy Spencer, so it’s not as easy for you. As you get older you'll see the sadness signs and know how to fight them off. It’s OK to be down for a day or two but life goes on. You have to go on too.”

“You think my mom is going on?”

“I hope she's with a family that loves her.” Rossi replied. “Honestly, she’d be crazy not to miss an awesome pup like you. When she thinks about you I'm sure she smiles and feels joy that her little guy could bring another family such happiness. You gotta remember she’s doing the same for someone else.”

“I just wish I could see her again.” He sighed.

“I know it won't be the same but maybe Billie could print a picture of a big beagle and tape it to the wall by your dog bed. Billie loves animal pictures. That way it’s kinda like you're close to her.”

“How could I ask her to? They don’t understand me when I talk…they just think my bark is adorable.”

“I’ll talk to Nicky.” Rossi said. “He and I understand each other.”

“Like _really_ understand each other?” Spencer perked up a bit at the conversation. “Nicky understands dog?”

“I think he does.” Dave nodded. “But you can't go blabbing that around. Only super awesome special kids have the ability to communicate with us. To everyone else it sounds like we bark or speak Klingon. If it’s discovered that Nicky is a pet whisperer they’ll want to take him all over the world to talk to hippos and cockatoos and even strange animals like rhinos and pythons.”

“Wow, you think so Rossi?”

“I know so pup. So we gotta keep that on the down low. Your paw on it.” Rossi lay his paw on the deck and Spencer put his on top. “Are you feeling better?”

“Just a little. I think the dreary weather from the past few days has made me feel sad too.”

“I know how to turn that frown upside down.” Dave said. “Puddle running.”

“For real!” Spencer sat up as his eyes went wide. “But you said I was too little for puddle running.”

“You're smaller than usual but with the right supervision you'll be just fine. You're getting old enough Spencer to start doing as men do.”

“I am?”

“I think so.” Rossi nodded.

“And the adults won't be mad?” Spencer asked.

“They might be, but oh well. This is perfect puddle running weather. We might even be able to convince Blake to come with us. Wanna try?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I do.”

“Alright.” Rossi put his paw on Spencer’s shoulder. “So the moral of this story is, it’s really OK to miss your mom and the life you had when you were with her. But life is always about moving on and all the pets and people you care about now are here to help. Don’t hide your feelings but don’t let them consume you either. You got it?”

“I got it.” Spencer nodded.

“Let’s hug it out.”

“Really?” the beagle’s eyes got wide again. He liked hugging Rossi, Spencer liked hugging everyone, but usually the bigger dog wasn’t for it.

“Why not? It’s the least I can do since you're having a bad day and all. Just don’t get too excited.”

Spencer nodded and then jumped on Rossi. The retriever grumbled but accepted the happy hug. He patted Spencer on the head. He was a good pup and it sucked to have those kinds of memories stuck in your head. Rossi had his share of bad ones; they all did. 

Every dog had a different story but loss was something they all had in common. That’s why Rossi wore his persona like a suit of armor. He knew exactly where Spencer was coming from and what he was feeling. Some things he would rather keep to himself.

“I can't wait till it stops raining so we can go puddle running.” Spencer said.

“It'll be a good time kid, that’s a promise.”

“And then Alex can stop worrying about me being sad.”

“I don’t think she's ever gonna stop worrying about you.” Rossi shook his head. “She's a mom too, Spencer. Just because she's not yours doesn’t mean those instincts go away. That’s exactly why we’re a family.”

“So you're like the dad?” Spencer asked, looking up at him.

“Noooo.” Dave laughed a bit. “I'm more like the cool Uncle, here for sound advice and snarky one-liners so you like me more than everyone else. I'm comfortable with that.”

***


End file.
